The Voice of Lee Schwartz, father of two former NFL studs, Geoffrey and Mitchell Schwartz, author of Raising Giants and member of Concussion & CTE Foundation’s West Coast Advisory Board . . .
INNOCENCE . . . OR SIMPLY OUT TO LUNCH
As I’ve repeatedly offered, CTE is for real. Two national health organizations (CDC & NIH) and one international health organization (WHO) all recognize CTE as a significant health issue. But then there are some who wish to pretend the disease just doesn’t exist.
New York Giants running Cam Skattebo faced heavy backlash a few months ago after calling CTE . . . and asthma . . . “fake” and an “excuse” during a podcast appearance. He later issued a public apology. (I’ll address the topic of after-the-fact apologies in a separate blog.)
Fast forward to the NFL’s opening weekend of the 2026 season. I typically pay no attention to commercials but one caught my eye. I was shocked. In it is the same “apologetic” Cam Skattebo is seen bashing his head into a wall, repositioning a truck on a street curb by ramming his noggin into the rear panel and then, finally, head-butting another person. Oh my goodness!
This commercial drew immediate criticism from advocates and medical professionals, denouncing the poor optics. Those who commented included Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, who took to social media to express his thoughts. Chris, rather tongue-in-cheek, thanked State Farm for raising awareness about CTE and concluding by summarizing, “this is not a laughing matter.”
The irony with the timing of this ad is that only a week or so previously the Foundation released a study stating that one in four NFL players who died within a six-year period all had signs of CTE . . . likely from repeated head trauma.
The insensitivity here by all parties involved is incomprehensible. I challenge the decision makers at State Farm and Cam himself to talk with . . . as I have . . . the families of those who had a family member who suffered and then passed away from the effects of CTE. Tell them it’s a joking matter.
Completely insensitive!
People often ask me how I smuggle chocolate into the movie theaters. Well… I have a few Twix up my sleeve!